The Things You Never Knew
by A Feather of Pepa
Summary: A rather discovery fic, involving a shocked Jewel. Finding out the most unexpected things from one who was once so fierce and an antagonist can hurt. It can cause sorrows, and so many regrets... And Jewel was there to witness all that can be for the one who once broke her wing... Oneshot.


Oneshot: The Things You Never Knew…

"Jewel! _Jewel!_" cried Blu, absconding to his fastest limit, soaring through the jungle of Rio. Urgency was the high pitch in his toning; Jewel leaped to her feet from where she sat on the floor of their hollow as his voice came into the area of perception. Her sapphire blue eyes peered out into the lush emerald forest to see her mate crashing into her, maple brown eyes wild with panic. His weight pinned her down against the prickly twigs, and the female, lovely macaw gave a snort of amusement- that of which didn't last for long… "_Jewel!_" he yowled again. The female macaw just about lost her patience and threw him off of her with a flounce of her graceful cerulean wings.

"What the heck, Blu? Watch where you're going!" she snapped back, protectively stretching out her wings and backing him up, defending the three precious bundles of matching cobalt feathers that were sleeping behind her. Blu apologetically let his eyes fall to the ground, but the fear that Jewel saw in his russet eyes sent a cold shiver down her spine.

"Blu, I'm sorry…" she approached him, and enveloped him in a warm embrace. "Look, how about we forget that happened? Tell me what you're so worked up about," she ordered, flicking a sky blue feather upon his beak. Blu nervously glanced up at her; the dreadful stare he gave her was enough to tell the magnificent macaw that this was nothing good…

"You won't believe it," Blu wheezed with a feeble shake of his head. "You just won't believe it…." Jewel searched his eyes worriedly. What could possibly go wrong in these three months of perfectness, part of it including raising a trio of beautiful chicks to save their species? "It's Nigel, Jewel. He's…" he had no time to finish, for Jewel had turned from a protective mate and mother to a monstrous beast in a momentum.

"_What?_" she snarled, eye setting ablaze with anger. "How dare he come back? What on Earth goes through his head?" Blu gulped and nodded, while stepping back a little ways off. It wasn't him to tolerate his mate's rage fits. "He's the most insane bird that I've ever come across! So, that said, he must be up to something if he's here, in the jungle! I-"

"W-well, actually, Jewel," Blu timidly started up, swallowing back the lump forming in his throat. "He's not… not _here_." Jewel stared at him suspiciously. Her beautiful eyes of oceanic lapis lazuli suddenly became a flame of hot, electric blue as they burned holes through his head. Blu knew she wasn't angry at him; she was angry at the inauspicious news he brought.

"Where _is_ he, then? I am _so_ going to give him a piece of _my_ mind." She sneered, the small crest of electric blue feathers at the back of her head rising, showing the rage that burned through her veins. Blu, uncertain, stepped away.

"I don't know if I can trust you, Jewel. Tulio would kill you if you laid a feather on him." Realizing that of which popped out of his mouth, Blu bit down hard on his tongue. Jewel was now eyeing him with an expressionless glare, which he knew by now, meant that she understood what he meant and was up to no good intention. "Don't, Jewel- I don't want to see you get hurt. Hey…" The male macaw piped up, an idea shooting into his head. "How about you take the kids there? You'll see why Tulio won't let you touch him, then." Jewel cocked her eye.

"O-kay." She muttered, her temper softly blowing out like a candle. "But if he _does_ anything-"

"He _won't_."

"-I know. But if he does _anything_, I _will_ give him a piece of my mind."

Blu's efforts to completely soothe her were futile, he realized. But at least he compromised.

* * *

His thoughts were of nothing but the pain he felt at that very second. His dreams were only drenched with the vagueness of his reality- he didn't know what would happen next… he only knew that he was in big trouble ever since that pretty bird had seen him.

The accident had been complex; large groups of marmosets had tackled him and, using their trinkets, hit him. The process _sounded_ simple, but he broke a wing, and glass had dug into the skin of his flank. Bruises were all one could see if they looked, but they had no idea what was hiding on the inside; internal wounds and bad beatings, alongside a few illnesses that had inflicted with his injuries. The only idiosyncrasy that came to mind when it came to the reason of their assailment was that they hungered for revenge, and to those stupid marmosets, revenge would be delectable.

Just like, not long ago, revenge seemed delectable to him, too.

But now… he didn't know what to think of now. The present puzzled him. He didn't know what to think of avenging his replacement. He didn't know what to think of those spix macaws and how they had sent him flying off the plane. He felt ill to even think about _anything_ at all. But in order to know himself, the present self he had only just become, Nigel was required to think.

His bronze eyes searched the room. Filled with many other exotic critters, he was surrounded by those who were beautiful. Some looked on at him in scorn, being members included with the smuggling incident. He felt no guilt. He felt nothing. Nothing but pain and anguish. Nothing… Closing his eyes, he refused to study the sanctuary no longer. It brought back memories, horrid memories. It made his belly churn with sickness.

"_Hello, pretty bird. So kind of you to join our little soiree."_

Flinching at the malicious sound, Nigel shrank in his sheets and snuggled softly against the corner of something…

"_Hello, pretty bird. What's the matter, cockatoo got your throat?"_

Indeed. He had his own throat… coiled and twisted in ways he had outdone himself…

"_Going somewhere, pretty bird?"_

"_Oh, pity! Now we have two useless, flightless birds."_

"_To be continued…."_

"_Oh, I know I'm not a pretty birdie; but I used to be quite the 'looker'!"_

Looker? He'd always looked like an escapee from a mental institution. And, come to think of it, he probably always will.

A sound from the entrance gently aroused him from his rather depression-like thoughts. A familiar squawk sent shivers up his spine; he knew that sound… he knew it all too well…

"You!" came a furious cry. Small chirrups of three chicks followed in pursuit. Squeezing his eyes shut tighter, Nigel pursed his beak together and could not bear to meet Jewel's rage-like gaze. The only thing he wanted to do was to think, but he had no choice anymore.

"… Yes, pretty bird… It's me." He whispered for a weak response. What did she want from him? To tear his eyes out?

Jewel bristled angrily. "You shouldn't be alive," she declared furiously, her voice dead silent. Nigel bit on his bottom beak, and forced his eyes open. He saw the strong posture of a magnificent blue macaw. Three little babies hiding behind her. Two males, who looked like Blu; and a small, shy little female that reflected Jewel. Nigel caught himself staring at her new family and gently lowered his gaze. The female macaw narrowed her eyes. It seemed that the cockatoo was unwilling to talk. "Something wrong, _Nigel_?" she sneered, her beak curling back into a snarl. "Are you _sick_?

"Maybe." He responded quietly, bronze irises rising to meet her cerulean blue. "It seems that you're in better shape… You are as beautiful as the rest, as usual." Jewel would've taken this as flattery if she had not grown used to his ironic attitude. Her eyes slitted, but he murmured softly, pleading. "Please, I beg of you… just leave, if all you are going to do is criticize my every previous action… I can just barely handle myself right now…" as he looked deeply into her eyes, maple brown eyes pleading, she felt the words rig her heart; he was being sincere…

But she wasn't going to let up just yet. Seeing that he was snuggled up on a bad shaped smaller to suit him, Jewel crossed her wings thoughtfully and inspected the sulphur crested cockatoo. However, it lasted only seconds… she noticed a curious bundle of sky blue feathers crawling across the blankets of this bird-sized bed. Nigel noticed this chick too, and frowned. They both thought the same thing: _what was she up to?_ "Nilesia…" Jewel warned softly, but made no movement to stop the macaw hatchling. The baby made her way towards the giant ball of gossamer ivory feathers, a curious look gleaming in her chocolate eyes.

Eventually, she tripped on the thick sheets. Her face collided with something round, and swollen- his belly. Anyone watching on would have expected the baby to recover and scramble to her feet, but Nilesia did no such thing; she laid there, her head snuggled into his soft belly. Something there felt strange… but comforting. It was as though… hmm… Nigel, looking very uncomfortable, stared down at the chick rubbing her head into the silkiness of his smooth, round belly. The gesture was, in a way, so very familiar… She had a soft smile on her face, for a reason unknown until a heartbeat later.

"Mama, it feels very soft! It's like someone was here before me, in this very same spot!"

The hearts of both dames stopped in an instant. Nigel pursed his beak and immediately looked away, unable to show the hot tears in his eyes to Nilesia or Jewel. Jewel, with her breath caught in her throat, felt her eyes fill with tears, sharing the same pain. Now she understood. His pain and his sorrow. His love for one so small, cuddling him affectionately. And Nilesia had just landed on the very spot that that chick used to snuggle. That was why he looked so uncomfortable.

Nigel was holding back sobs of regret, shutting his maple eyes and begging himself not to cave in. Nilesia sensed this and struggled up onto his chest, rubbing her forehead into his cheek comfortingly. "S'all right." She said sweetly, closing her big eyes. The ivory cockatoo gently relaxed, returning the affectionate gesture.

This was the side that Jewel longed to see… The side that no one had ever seen themselves. "Nigel…" she whimpered softly, scooting closer to him. Her wing laced in his own in a comforting gesture. The sulphur crested cockatoo raised his eyes to look into her own. "Nigel…" she murmured again. "What was their name?"

A small grin sprouted on his beak, and a warm expression blossomed. "The name was Chimalis…" he admitted finally, feeling the burden lifted…

Finally…

* * *

A/N: I'm making a story to make this one-shot more understandable... in the meantime, enjoy!


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